After the Storm
by acciojd
Summary: Ron leaves the Horcrux hunt and finds himself walking into more trouble than a gang of Snatchers. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Ron Weasley had never been so alone in his life. He had grown up in small house with six siblings. It was cramped and overcrowded and the children were always on top of each other. Someone was always shouting for someone else, or else barging into his room, and bumping into him on the stairs. Meals were loud and noisy affairs, where his family would sit elbow to elbow, and very often friends and extended family would be visiting, making the crowded home even more alive with people.

When he started at Hogwarts, he shared his dormitory room with four other boys, Harry, Neville, Seamus, and Dean. One of the boys would always be around with some new spell to show off, a new story to tell, or just to waste time hanging out with.

Ron Weasley was used to other people. Although there were moments in his childhood when he would have killed for some peace and quiet, all in all, Ron liked company. He liked conversation, he even just liked the feeling of knowing he wasn't alone. He was a people person, and he didn't seem to thrive as well when he was on his own.

But now he was completely alone.

As soon as the anger dissipated, as soon as the affect of the Horcrux wore off, Ron found himself with a new sinking feeling. The Horcrux did not bring on this new feeling of depression, nor did dementors. Instead, this depression was brought on by himself. And this was far worse feeling.

"I left them" He whispered. A knot formed at the pit of his stomach, his extremities felt cold as all the blood rushed to his heart and brain to compensate for the shock.

Immediately, he knew he had to go back. He had to apologize. The look in Hermione's eyes when he left made him feel physically ill. And Harry. He had said such awful things to Harry, things he didn't really mean but once he started yelling them, he just couldn't stop.

He couldn't walk out on them. They needed him.

Well, his insecurity creeping back in even without the Horcrux, even if they didn't need him, he still needed them.

He tried to remember where they had been when he left, but for some reason his mind drew a blank. He could not apparate to them unless he knew where they were. "Come on Ron. Think. Where were we?" he mumbled to himself. All the places they had been, and all different hideouts and forests were blending together in one giant mesh in his head. He could see the tent in his mind, but he wouldn't be apparate inside it because of their protective enchantments. He would need to apparate to the wooded area right outside it, and wait for them to show themselves in the morning. He just couldn't remember where they were.

A crack in the woods behind him caught his attention. His head jerked up and his eyes darted around, just now for the first time taking in his surroundings. He was in a plot of woods not far from 12 Grimmauld Place. During the summer before his 5th year, when the house served as headquarters to the Order, he and Hermione had gone on a long walk in these woods just to escape the confines of the house. Of course, the first place he thought of would be connected with her, he mused.

It was stupid to come here, though. Death Eaters were no doubt on alert to the area. Since the woods were close to the home that was Harry's former hideout they would be idiots not to be patrolling the area, now that they could get in.

He had to leave, and he had to leave now.

As he turned on his heel, desperate to go back to Harry and Hermione, he heard a whisper in the dark. Before he had time to react or defend himself, a jet of white light hit him square in the chest.

There was pain. He yelped and fell to the ground gripping at his chest. It felt as though someone had literally stabbed him, but as he grabbed at the area the pain was radiating from, there was no torn flesh. He couldn't feel any physical damage, but it hurt so badly, Ron thought he was going to pass out.

"well, well, well. What do we have here?" A large man approached him and with his foot, rolled Ron onto his back. The man bent over and grabbed Ron's wand, which Ron had lost his grip on when fell to the ground.

"Ron? Did you say your name was?" Ron inwardly swore at himself for using his own name when he was trying to remember where Harry and Hermione were.

"Not Ron Weasley. The blood traitor. Potter's right hand man" The man bemused further. Ron finally was able to see the man's face as the moon lit it up slightly. He felt his heart skip a beat. It was Runcorn. The man Harry had impersonated to get into the ministry. Even though, polyjuice potion had made them carbon copies, Ron would swear that this man had a more evil look than Harry did as his copy. When it had been Harry, there was a softness to his eyes, a tenderness. Now, his eyes held nothing but pure malice.

Ron opened his mouth to say something. He wasn't sure what, but some lie about his identity.

"No, no, no. I don't want your excuses bloodtraitor, you are coming with me" And in one quick movement, he picked up Ron by the neck of his sweater and dragged him to his feet. Ron's chest was still killing him. The pain had not dulled at all. Ron had never felt so alone and so terrified in his life.

As the massive figure of Albert Runcorn dragged him along, pain still radiating through his body, all he could think about was Harry and Hermione. Ron would never make it back to them. They would never know how sorry he was for leaving. He wouldn't be standing by Harry's side at the end, fighting with him. Hermione would never know how he felt about her. He would die with his best friends thinking he abandoned them.

Ron felt tears well up in his eyes, but fought them back. He would be strong in front of these death eaters. He would never cry in front of them. And Harry and Hermione might think he abandoned them, but Ron Weasley would die before they betrayed him.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hope you all are enjoying. I would SUPER appreciate some reviews, Constructive criticism welcome!

Chapter 2

"RON" Hermione yelled, woken up by a nightmare. Harry bolted around from the entrance of the tent where he sat keeping guard, wand at the ready. He glanced widely around, but there was no one in the tent with them.

There was only Hermione, sitting straight up in her bed. Ron had left only an hour or two ago. Hermione had lay in her bed and cried. Harry had chosen to give her some extra blankets and then sit out on guard and let her be. He noticed that eventually her crying had stopped as, Harry figured, she had cried herself to sleep

Lowering his wand, he walked over to her and sat on the edge of her bed. "It was a dream, Hermione"

She looked up at him with tear filled eyes.

"He's gone," she whispered. All Harry could do in response was nod. Talking about Ron's exit would be too painful for both of them.

It had been mere hours since Ron had left, but already the impossible mission they were on seemed even more doomed. Hermione had barely been able to stop crying at all, and must have drifted off for minutes before the nightmare awoke her.

"Can I show you something?" She whispered. Harry nodded, unsure of what she could possibly want to show him at this hour. She pulled out her beaded back and whispered "accio watch." A delicate woman's wristwatch flew out and landed neatly in Hermione's outstretch hand. Wordlessly she handed the watch over to Harry.

Instead of telling time like his watch did, it was reminiscent of the Weasley family clock. Places were written around the edge the exact same way. Home. School. Shopping. Work. Travel. There were other places too, but the hands of the watch distracted Harry from reading all of them. There were three little hands with three little faces on it. Squinting closer he that the three faces were his, Hermione's and Ron's.

"Oh wow" he gasped "where did you get this." He whispered.

"It was a gift from my mum, before all this happened. Ms. Weasley charmed it for her and they gave it to me for my birthday this year." Hermione sniffed. "My mom told me, one day she hopes I can add children to it, like the Weasley clock." Harry smiled sadly. The thought of children for any of them seemed like an impossible dream. He had never even thought of Hermione as a mother but, now that the thought crossed his mind, he could see it.

The same way his subconscious occasionally let him daydream of a future with Ginny, he could see Hermione, looking on with a smile, as Ron played with a laughing redheaded child with frizzy hair and freckles. It was a different life. A life Harry didn't even realize that he wanted so badly for his best friends until right then.

The watch was truly a beautiful gift from a mother who had no way of appreciating the danger her daughter would face.

"Why haven't you been wearing it?" He asked, curiously.

"For now, I just find it scary and depressing. Look at where we are pointed"

Harry looked back at the watch. All three of the hands were pointed at the noon position. "Mortal Peril."

"It's been like that since I got it. My mother was very uneasy, but, Ms. Weasley lied to her and told her that it took some time to adjust and was just setting itself at the noon position." she sniffed again. "Thankfully, my mum had no idea what was really going on in the wizarding world."

"I keep thinking that Ron's should go back to home. He is a pureblood, he should be safe now that he is not with us." Harry stared at the watch again. Ron's hand didn't move from mortal peril.

"Well the Weasley's are being tracked." Harry said, remember the file in Umbridge's office. "I'm sure he is home safe." But as soon as he said it, he didn't believe it. Something just felt wrong.

He took out the Marauders Map, and checked to see if Ron's name reappeared in the Gryffindor common room. After searching among the dots for a few minutes, he was forced to conclude that Ron had not returned to school either. His eyes lingered on Ginny's dot, in the 6th year girls dormitory room for just a few seconds before he placed the map back in his moleskin pouch.

"I'm worried, Harry." Hermione whispered, her eyes on her wristwatch, and Harry could see them filling with tears again.

"Me too." Harry concurred.

Hermione was well beyond the point of worried. She couldn't even begin to explain the level of her fear to Harry. Ron was, well, everything. The thought of never seeing him again made her feel physically sick. What if she died and never got to tell him how she felt? Or worse, what if something happened to him. She would have no way of knowing and no way of helping him. And if something happened to him, he would die thinking she had chosen Harry over him.

Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her age, lay back in her bed and cried herself back to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Please let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is MORE THAN WELCOME!

Chapter 3

Before today, Ron had pictured how he would die. He knew that would seem very morbid for most healthy 17-year-old boys, but how could he not? Not with the chance of dying creeping over him, his family and his friends every single day like a fog that never faded.

He had nightmares. Terrible, awful nightmares that he would wake up from in a cold sweat, with his heart pounding in his chest. He had nightmares of Harry dying, hit by a killing curse at the hands of Voldemort. Then there were the nightmares where Ginny died, at the hands of one of the many death eaters who now had access to Hogwarts. And there was the recent nightmare, where the death eaters tortured all five of his brothers to find out where he was.

It was interesting that he never had a nightmare where Hermione died. It was almost as though his subconscious wouldn't let him fathom that happening to her, as if his subconscious knew he physically could not take it. But regardless, the nightmares lead to daytime musings, and he had pictured how it would happen to him.

But in his head, his death always involved something heroic. He would jump in font of the killing curse to save Harry or Hermione. He would die so that the wizarding world could be safe. So that Harry and Hermione would be safe.

He didn't want it to happen like this. He didn't want to die alone. And his last words to Hermione… "I get it, you choose him." His last time talking to Harry would be in anger. "You have no family." That was wrong. Harry did have a family. Harry had him. They were brothers. He would die to keep Harry safe.

Well now he would die, but it wouldn't be to keep Harry safe. It would be because he ran off on them and found himself alone and in the hands of Death Eaters. "How bloody typical" he thought.

Runcorn dragged him up the steps to 12 Grimmauld Place. It was a place he knew very well. The entranceway was exactly the same as it was when they left it the morning of their ministry plan. He was so nervous that day, but even when he thought of that morning and how scared he was, he had still never been to this house with this much anxiety and this much dread as he was feeling now. His chest still had the pulsating pain, but it was almost as though Ron's terror had blocked it out temporarily.

It was over run by death eaters. The fears the trio had when Hermione accidently brought Yaxley into the _fidelius_ charm were correct. It had become a hideout for them. If Siruis saw this he would have had a melt down. Harry too. Death eaters in the home of his beloved godfather, defying everything Siruis stood for. It was awful, really. "I guess Ms. Black must be happy though" Ron bemused.

"Master Weasley!" Kreacher shrieked as Runcorn dragged him through the hallway and into the sitting room.

"Quiet you useless rat!" Runcorn screamed, aiming a kick at Kreacher who sulked back into the corner. Ron tried to smile at him, remembering how things had changed and how kind Kreacher had been in the month leading up to their invasion of the ministry. He wanted to reassure Kreacher with a smile, or at least thank him for the kindness he had showed earlier that year.

"_Accio_ Chair" the larger man yelled, and a chair flew out of the corner of the room and into the middle. Runcorn push Ron into the chair, cast a quick binding spell and Ron was tied to the chair, unable to move. Other death eaters now, aware that something had happened were coming into the room.

"Weasley? Is that, the Weasley boy?" One asked with venom in his voice. "Arthur Weasley's son?" Ron felt a pang of fear for his family. Did the death eaters still think he had spattergroit? He had no way of warning them go into hiding.

The death eaters poured in the room curiously. "Should we call the Dark Lord?" One whispered and he could hear them discussing.

"No" Runcorn said, with such a certainty in his tone that Ron knew the others would listen. "We are forbidden from calling him except for Potter himself" Runcorn made a sharp movement and before Ron knew it was coming, he was being grabbed by the hair, Runcorn a mere inches from his face.

"But this one. He knows where they are." Ron felt sick he was so scared, but not for himself. He knew he would never tell willingly, but what if they gave him veritaserum? What if they used legilimency on him? While mind was racing with all the ways that they could get him to talk, it became almost a relief when he heard the next words out of Runcorn's mouth.

"_Crucio_"

The pain was incredible. That was the word to describe it. He knew Harry had been subjected to it before in there fourth year, when Voldermort had returned, but Harry didn't talk much about it afterwards. He knew, obviously, it was going to hurt a lot, but nothing prepared him for this.

He could hear himself screaming, but it didn't feel as though he had any control over it. It felt as though the person screaming was not actually him.

He felt as though he was being ripped apart.

Just when he was sure he was going to pass out from the pain. It stopped suddenly.

"I hope you enjoyed that warm-up, Mr. Weasley." Runcorn said, voice dry and emotionless. It clearly caused him no personal torment to torture a 17-year-old boy. "And let me assure you, that was just a warm up."

Ron tried his best to meet Runcorn's eyes; he wanted to show him that he was not beaten and not afraid. His head felt heavy, it was difficult to lift it up.

"This can be very easy. You tell us where Harry Potter is, and we will let you go. You can go back to your family, and we will even leave them alone." Runcorn moved closer to Ron, lowering himself to look Ron in the eyes.

"Or, we can kill you. Then we will kill your family. And eventually, we will kill Harry Potter too." He paused possibly for dramatic effect, "the way I see it, you really only have one option."

"Go. To. Hell." Ron spit back at him.

"_Crucio_"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks Aisling's Corner and Cubye4! I'm glad you two are liking this story so far. I'll be sure to check out some of your stories soon!

Chapter 4

He was screaming. He was screaming so loudly that his pain became her pain and suddenly she was sitting next to him. No. Not next to him. She was inside him. She could see as he could, she felt her arms tied down, she could feel the pain in her chest, and she could feel the _cruciatus_ curse invade her body. But then, it wasn't really her body or her chest or her arms. They were his. Manlier, broader, frecklier.

"Come on boy. You don't need to die here tonight. Tell us where Potter is and you don't need to die. We'll make you a good meal and send you on your way. We don't really want to spill any more pure blood. You are one of us, you can be one of us" A voice. It was a harsh voice, yet obviously trying to appeal to the boy in the chair to get him to talk. To get him to give information as to where Harry Potter was.

There was no response for a while from the limp body in the chair. Then, after a few long seconds there was a quiet whisper.

"What was that boy?" The harsh voice again. The voice was hopeful now, as if maybe the boy was going to tell him what he wanted to know.

"If being pureblood makes me anything like you, then spill all of mine. I don't want it." This voice was weak, barely above a whisper, but so defiant.

"_Secumsemptra"_

More screaming. Bright red blood was spilling out of his chest.

_They have Ron._

Hermione snapped awake, having barely fallen asleep again since her conversation with Harry a mere hour or so earlier. Ron had been gone maybe 4 or 5 hours. It was still nightfall.

Even as her eyes adjusted to the surroundings the dream, so real seconds ago, faded away. Ron had been there, that she knew. She had known the surroundings during the dream, but as she tried to remember it, the details just kept slipping away. Ron was in pain. He was being tortured. But was it real? Or was it her fears manifesting into vivid dreams?

Should she wake Harry? She knew the location, where he was being held. But the more she tried to recall, it just kept slipping from her. She didn't even know if it was real! Her mind felt fuzzy.

Hermione had never been so terrified. Well, she had actually, she had been this terrified twice before. When Ron was unconscious lying in the hospital wing after drinking the poison that was meant for Dumbledore. She was terrified then. And also when Ron was splinched, just weeks ago. When there was blood pouring out of his arm where huge chunks of flesh were missing. When he was lying on the ground twitching and bleeding out in front of her as she tried desperately to heal him, she had been terrified then too.

Every time Harry wound up in the hospital wing, Hermione had been scared. She had been worried for her best friend, her brother. She would sit by his bed and fuss and fret. But that fear was different than the fear she felt when she thought about losing Ron.

When Ron was hurt is was as though she couldn't breath. Her mind would go fuzzy, and she would be unable to comprehend what was going on. It was very un-Hermione like. She was usually so logical and so practical. But when Ron was hurt, everything would stop. Well, everything except her pure terror.

She needed him. She made the decision to stay because she had to be there to help Harry. But now, with the fear clouding her judgment, she was worried she wouldn't even be much use to Harry. Should she have gone with Ron? She could have convinced him to come back. She knew she could have. She should have told Ron earlier how she felt about him.

"I get it, you choose him." His voice rang out in her head.

"No, Ron" she whispered. "It was you. There never even was a choice. It was always you." Hermione was filled with regret.

Maybe she should have said that. When he left the tent, and she ran after him begging him to stop, maybe she should have swallowed her pride. She should have shouted "I LOVE YOU" as he walked off. That would have stopped him. He would have turned around, dumbstruck. He would have looked her in the eyes and knew she meant it. Would he have left her then? Something in her heart told her he wouldn't have.

He had needed reassurance, and she hadn't given it to him. She could have stopped this from happening, and she didn't.

She got out of bed, and moved to the entrance of the tent where Harry sat keeping guard, but even as she was just thinking about what to say to him, the words sounded stupid in her head.

'Harry, I had a dream that Ron was being tortured. We need to go find him.' It sounded ridiculous even without being said out loud.

It just didn't logically make any sense. Her dreams weren't real the way Harry's were. She didn't have that connection.

Then it hit her.

"Grimmauld place." She said allowed this time.

"Hermione?" Harry questioned hearing her voice.

"I… I think Ron is being tortured at Grimmauld Place" Hermione voiced. Harry's eyes widened. "I had a dream." Hermione finished, trying to get Harry to see past her fears for what the truth could be.

Harry was not one to take dreams lightly. "Are you sure? How did you know it was Grimmauld Place?"

"I recognized the room. He was in that sitting room where we slept our first night there" She finished.

"Have you ever had a dream like this before? Where you saw what Ron was doing?"

"No…" She answered honestly. And even now, after being awake for a few more minutes, and the initial reality of the dream passing, it seemed less likely and less plausible that she had actually seen him being tortured.

She was trying to be rational. Logical. The Hermione Granger she was used to being. But everything was all coming out wrong in her head. Nothing was making sense. How could she possibly have been in Ron's body during the dream?

"I don't know, Harry" she said, eyes filling up with tears again. "I don't know if it was real or not. I want to go just to be safe, but what if we walk into a house of Death Eaters and Ron isn't there?"

She was trying to curve her passion and her love for Ron to balance with her logic. She wanted to storm into Grimmauld place, just to be safe, just to be sure he was not there. But logically, that could get her and, more importantly, Harry killed. Could she sacrifice the hope of the wizarding world just to make sure Ron wasn't being held there? And she knew Harry would never let her go alone. He loved Ron as well.

Harry seemed to sense her confliction and said nothing further. If Hermione wanted to go, he would go as well. If she were certain enough that Ron was there, he would go too. If Ron needed him, he would be there. But the dream wasn't his. It was a huge risk for them to take. He'd let her decide.

PLEASE R/R AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Short Chapter, but I promise there will be a quick update if you REVIEW

Chapter 5

"Ron. It was you. There never even was a choice. It was always you"

Ron heard her whisper. It was coming from his pocket. From the deluminator, which for whatever reason the death eaters didn't take from him.

Thankfully, he was finally alone. Bruised, beaten and close to broken, he was alone, but alive. Runcorn had finally left him because the sun crept up indicating the new day, and he, as well as the other death eaters, wanted to get to sleep.

It was a merciful break. They tortured Ron until he screamed himself horse. Beat him until he was unconscious, only to wake him up by slicing the skin on his chest. It was hours of agony that finally concluded when they realized they were not going to get any information out of him. Blood was soaking through his shirt, but he was alive. And most importantly, Hermione and Harry were safe.

He was sure that the next time they asked him about Harry, they would call Voldemort himself. He knew then that the torture would begin again, and arguably be worse.

He vaguely wondered if Voldermort would be able to see right into his mind and find Harry and Hermione. But then, he wondered if it would matter. He wasn't sure if he would even be alive in the morning for another round of questioning. Blood was still seeping through his shirt from deep gashes across his chest that wouldn't seem to heal. He was feeling more and more drained, more and more tired. If he fell asleep would be wake up again? He didn't know, but something told him no.

He was still magically tied to the chair although; he wouldn't have been able to stand up even if he wasn't. He was loosing too much blood and the cruitius curse had left him physically weaker and more mentally drained than he had ever felt in his life.

Hearing her voice gave him a tiny bit of strength. He wanted to survive until morning just to see her face again. Just to tell her he was sorry for leaving her.

"Hermione" he whispered, wondering how it was possible her voice was coming out of his pocket, and wondering if she could hear him as well.

"Master Weasley" a voice whispered. "You are awake." Ron used whatever strength he had left to look at Kreacher

"I'll be ok, Kreacher" He lied, his voice horse.

"Where is Master and Miss. Hermione?" Kreacher asked and Ron felt himself tense. Was Kreacher aligned with the death eaters? Is this a ploy to try and get Ron to talk?

"I don't know." He answered honestly. Tears immediately welled up in his swollen eyes. " I miss them, Kreacher." And the tears, which he had sworn not to shed in front of the death eaters, started streaming down his face. "I want to be with them"

Kreacher hobbled his feeble body over to Ron, grabbed his hand. There was a loud CRACK and everything Ron's world went dark.

PLEASE R/R AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Please read and review! Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 6

A loud CRACK in the tent caused both Harry and Hermione to stand up at once. Harry barely had time to even think about how someone could apparate inside the tent despite all of their defensive spells, when Hermione let out a scream that shook him to the very core.

This was a scream not of pain or fear but it was something entirely different. It was a scream of anguish, and it was far more terrifying. It was the type of scream, associated with loss. The type of heart wrenching scream he let out when he watched Sirius fall through the veil. It made Harry's blood run cold.

Then he saw what made her scream, and nearly collapsed. His knees buckled slightly

Ron, clearly unconscious, bound to a chair, and covered in blood, had just reappeared in the small tent.

Harry unfroze a second later and with a scream of "RON" he ran towards his best friend. He immediately began trying to loosen the bonds that were tight around Ron and the chair. After a few seconds he yelled "Hermione, Hermione, help me! Get them off him!" his voice choking back sobs. Was Ron dead? He didn't even want to consider it.

He kept trying to release the bonds, trying to ignore how cold Ron's hands were. Fear was gripping his heart. "Hermione, please help me get them off him!" He gasped again; tears were now streaming uncontrollably down his face.

Only then did he notice Hermione was sobbing, kneeling in front of Ron, her hands cupping his face

"Ron, stay with me. Please Ron" she cried.

Someone else magically unbound the restraints, and Ron's body fell forward, off the chair into Hermione's arms, and she gently laid him down on the floor of the tent, cradling his upper body in her arms.

That was the first time that Harry realized they were not alone. That Ron had certainly not apparated on his own accord.

"KREACHER" He shouted, spotting the elf for the first time. "KREACHER WHAT HAPPENED?" He wasn't even able to ask politely, he was so terrified. Ron had not been gone for very long, hours at most. The sun was coming up outside the tent marking the new day.

"Master," Kreacher bowed, and his voice even caused Hermione to look up, tearing her eyes away from Ron's bloodied face. "Kreacher is sorry. Master Weasley said he wanted to be with Master and Miss. Hermione. So Kreacher brought him to you. Kreacher can take him back if Master wants."

"No. NO." Harry yelped, his voice high, almost unrecognizable. "But what happened to him? Who did this?" Harry asked again.

"Master Weasley was brought in to the house. There are lots of wizards there now. But they are not like Mistress Black or Master Harry. They are mean, disrespectful and befoul the house as if it is theirs." Kreacher spat, anger in his voice.

"One of them brought Master Weasley back. They were evil to him. They asked him questions. Questions about Master. They kept hurting him. There was lots of screaming. When they were done, and went to sleep, Kreacher went to tend to Master Weasley, but he wanted to come to Master Harry and Miss Hermione." Kreacher said, trying to explain what had happened best as he understood.

"Oh, Ron" Hermione whispered, tears spilling down her face onto Ron's body. Harry knelt down at Ron's other side. Ron had not regained consciousness. The many cuts on his body still seemed to be bleeding. He was loosing a lot of blood, and quickly. Hermione was already covered in Ron's blood, and Harry was sure he was too. It was a horrifying sight; only his nightmares were made of this.

"We have to help him, Hermione" Harry cried. He couldn't think straight because of how scared he was.

Hermione looked up at him "Don't you think I would if I could" she yelled catching Harry off guard. "These cuts, they were made by dark magic. _Sectumsempra_, I think… Dittany will do nothing for them. I…. I… I don't know how to heal them."

Harry was shocked. He felt helpless. If Hermione didn't know how to fix Ron, was there any hope for him at all? Would he bleed out on the floor as Hermione and Harry sat watching?

But, there had to be away. When he had used _Sectumsempra_ on Draco, Snape had known a counter curse. There was a way to stop the bleeding.

"Snape used a spell to heal Draco. There has to be a way. It was a chant. He was chanting"

Hermione "My bag. Quickly. Grab the book "Secrets of the Darkest Arts" There was a counter-curse to one of the spells in there. It was a chant, it might work"

Harry was off. He sprinted to the bag. "_Accio_ Secrets of the Darkest Arts" and the book flew to him. He threw it to Hermione who quickly began skimming of the pages. Her hands were covered in blood and Harry could tell she was shaking violently; the book was shaking in her hands. Tears were pouring down her face

Harry looked down at Ron and was startled to see fresh tear tracks down his friend's face. The tears had left a trail as they cleaned away some of the blood and grime that had caked to Ron's skin. '_Oh God Ron, what did they do to you_.' Harry thought, unable to imagine what his friend went through and feeling tears well up in his own eyes. He sank to his knees and grabbed one of Ron's hands.

Ron was a casualty Harry was not prepared to loose to this war. Ron was his first and best friend, his partner in crime. His… brother.

"Harry, rip open his shit. " Hermione commanded, her voice desperate. Harry followed her order, ripping open the shirt that Ron was wearing with just his hands. It wasn't difficult; the shirt had been cut already from the curses used on him. Harry didn't want to risk cutting him again by using a severing charm to cut the shirt off. His hands were safer. Now, the deep wounds were exposed for Hermione to hopefully heal.

Hermione brought her wand to Ron's chest and began chanting softly, tracing the deep cuts with her want. Harry could barely make out the words she was saying.

"please work, please work, please work" Harry whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Well, the movie inspired me to keep writing! What did you all think?

Chapter 7

Harry stared at Ron's injuries with such concentration it was as though he thought he could heal them with his mind. But then.. slowly, the wounds stared to heal. At first he thought it was in his head, but then after a bit longer he became sure they were closing.

"It's working, Hermione!" Harry yelped.

She continued for a few more seconds, the wounds seemed to reach a point where they wouldn't heal up more, but they had at least stopped bleeding.

She stopped chanting and looked down as Ron stirred slightly.

…

Ron could feel that he was now lying down. "That's weird. Wasn't I sitting on a chair?" he thought to himself. He couldn't piece it together. His head was elevate slightly and resting on something soft. Maybe a pillow? But no it was different than that. It reminded him of when he was little and he would lay on the grass with his mother, sometimes with his head in her lap, looking at the sun. There was a hand holding his too. That was strange, maybe it was Kreacher? But it felt human, not elf. He couldn't imagine that many of the death eaters would hold his hand as he died.

But was he dying? He felt better. Not at all well, but not as though he was going die at any second.

"Come on Ron, please wake up." A sad voice broke into his stream of consciousness. A female voice. He knew that voice. It was so familiar, and he wanted to wake up for her, he wanted to do anything that would make her voice sound less sad.

Ron struggled to open his eyes and found himself staring into the tearful brown eyes of Hermione Granger.

Hermione gasped when his eyes fluttered open. She was so terrified she would never see the brilliant blue of his eyes ever again. He looked at her, then around the tent and his eyes landed on Harry. That was when he spoke for the first time.

"Am I dead?" He whispered. It was the only way he could possibly be back with them.

Harry let out a nervous laughter. Hermione didn't trust herself to speak.

"No, mate. No. You are alive." Harry finally said, tightening his grasp on Ron's hand.

Ron now realized his head was in Hermione's lap. Harry was by his side, gripping his hand. Hermione was staring at him like she had never quite seen anything like him before. It made Ron uneasy. She must have been mad. Mad at him for leaving; mad at him for getting himself into trouble. Did they have to come rescue him? He didn't even know how he got back to the tent. The last thing he remembered was her voice coming out of his pocket.

"I'm so sorry. I was such an idiot." He whispered. He wanted to make things right with both of them, but right now he felt took weak to stand up, let alone give them any sort of real apology.

There was silence still from Hermione. She still just didn't trust herself to speak. She was afraid he would disappear from her lap at any second. She was so transfixed by him, so amazed that he was living and breathing in front of her when she was so sure, so positive, that he was dead. When the chair appeared with his body, lying limp and bloody, she felt as though a part of her had died. That part was slowly returning to her.

"I wanted to come back as soon as I disapparated." Ron started.

"Shhh….It's alright mate." Harry said, now somewhere between laughing and crying. "You should rest. Your safe and you should rest."

Ron smiled at him. Now, safe with the people he loved, he did feel immensely exhausted. Just as he started to close his eyes, content to sleep with his head in Hermione's lap, when he remembered something and jolted awake.

"MY WAND" he cried, "they have my wand!" He was horrified. The wand was his only weapon in this fight. He had never felt more vulnerable.

"Kreacher stole it back from the big man" Kreacher said, hobbling over towards the group and presenting Ron's wand to him. He was speaking for the first time since explaining what had happened to Ron.

"Kreacher, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you" Ron said, tears now streaming down his face. He owed Kreacher so much now. While he always cared for Dobby, it had always been Harry who felt connected with the house elf. It was Ron, who now felt as if he owed Kreacher new socks for every day of the year.

"How did you…" Harry began to ask, either Kreacher or Ron what had happened. There were so many questions to answer. How were they able to apparate inside the tent? How did Kreacher even know where they were?

"No" Hermione interrupted. Speaking for the first time since Ron opened his eyes. "Ron needs rest, we will find out everything we need to know in the morning." Her voice sounded monotone and detached. Ron looked up at her, head still resting on her lap, and found her brown eyes lacking the warmth he was so used to.

"Her…" Ron started, but Hermione interrupted again.

With a silent spell, she lifted him up off the grown and floated him over to his bunk. She then grabbed the blankets that Harry had given her earlier, and threw them over him. Ron and Harry looked at each other bewildered. Harry simply shrugged and smiled at Ron, glad to have him back.

"Would masters like some tea?" Kreacher asked reminding them all he was still there.

"No thank you Kreacher, but why don't you sleep on this bunk tonight. We will talk more in the morning" Harry said, pointing to a spare bunk that was available. Harry realized that they must figure out what to do with Kreacher. He couldn't really accompany them on the hunt, but they couldn't send him back to Grimmauld place either. Kreacher bowed and retired too his bed.

"Hermione" Ron whispered, trying to get her attention. She was now tidying up the tent, as if nothing unusual had happened. Frustrated, Ron tried to sit up, but found that the pain to his chest, from the initial spell that Runcorn hit him with, was still present and aggravated on the movement. Fading, but present. He moaned and gripped his chest. That caught Hermione's attention.

"What's hurting you?" She asked, her voice soft, and she returned once more to Ron's side.

"It's nothing" he shrugged, waiting for the pain to pass. "Sit with me?" He asked, looking up at her.

How could she not? His eyes were half open; he was clearly exhausted from his ordeal and probably from the blood loss. He was fighting to keep them open just to talk to her.

"I'm sorry, Hermione"

"You need to get some rest, Ron"

Ron wanted to keep her talking, to make sure she was not mad at him, but he was loosing strength. He was so tired, he could barely think straight, let alone have a heart to heart with her.

"It was always you too" He whispered, falling asleep before his words could even sink in.

"Oh, Ron" Hermione sighed. Now that he had fallen asleep, she took a minute to look him over. He was paler than she had ever seen him. Thinner too. She knew they were all looking thin and run down, but Ron definitely was looking sickly.

She tried to think about his health. He lost a lot of blood that much was certain. They still had very little, if any, food in the tent.

Suddenly Hermione started shaking violently. The adrenaline that just helped her save Ron's life was suddenly gone. She was going to be sick. She left Ron's side and ran out of the tent, becoming ill on a nearby tree.

Harry ran after her. Noticing she was sick, he gently rubbed her back and spoke soothingly. "He's ok Hermione. You did it. He's safe." He repeated this mantra, as Hermione tried to calm her nerves and figure out what they should do next.

A/N: Please read and review! I'll wrap this story up at some point were it will meet back up with the book! But I really hope you like it.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I AM SO SO SO SO SO SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY. I was taking an exam and then went on a very extended vacation. I hope you are all still enjoying this story! Please read and review!

After a few deep breaths, Hermione was able to regain her composure. She turned toward Harry, who was standing by her side. "We have to think about what to do. He won't be able to move for a few days. Kreacher needs someplace safe." Hermione said, her mind racing. Suddenly she let out a little yelp of fear, and Harry's eyes widened.

"The Weasley's! The Death Eaters know Ron is with us now, they are going to go after them." At her words, Harry moaned. She was right.

"What do we do? Can we send a talking patronus to them?" Harry asked.

"I don't know." She frowned. "After the wedding, Mr. Weasley said not to reply because the family was being watched. I don't want to send one if they are in more trouble." She replied. She was thinking fast. The wheels in her head were churning and Harry bit his lip in thought as well.

"Lupin. We have to send one to Lupin. Or maybe Bill and Fluer? Someone needs to be warned!" Harry said, heart racing. He was worried about Ginny. If the Death Eaters knew Ron was with them, it was only a matter of time before they went after Ginny.

"I don't know!" Hermione said again, voice a little higher. "What if we get someone into trouble?"

"It's a risk we are going to have to take, isn't it? They have to know now! It doesn't matter if they are being watched now that they know Ron's with us! It's Christmas holidays. Ginny will be home, which is good. They can all go into hiding together" He finished.

Hermione nodded. He was right. It wouldn't matter that the Weasley's were being watched now that the Death Eaters knew Ron was with them. They would go after them anyway.

Hermione cast the spell. _expecto patronum_. The otter burst from the tip of her wand, ran a circle around her and Harry before returning in front of her. "They know Ron is with us. Please be careful. We are all safe." She whispered and sent the otter on its way.

"Who did you send it too?" Harry asked.

"Mr. Weasley. You are right. It doesn't matter now if they are being watched." Hermione sighed. There is so much more she would have liked to say to them.

"We should send Kreacher to Bill and Fluer. He can't come with us. He knows too much, and we need to make sure that he is with people we can trust. The death eaters will surely torture him if they find him." Hermione offered this solution to Harry.

Harry nodded. She was right. She was always right. They couldn't bring Kreacher with them. He didn't fully understand and could become an accidental liability. They couldn't send him back to Grimmauld Place, he would be tortured there.

"Hermione, how do you think he found us?" Harry asked. It was the question that had been on his mind ever since calming down from his initial panic over Ron's well being.

Hermione frowned and bit her lower lip. "Elven magic is different than our magic. Its limitations are different than what we are familiar with. I imagine that Kreacher has a bond to you, because you are his master. The bond allows him to appear by your side when you summon him, no matter where you are. I'm not sure why Ron was able to command Kreacher to take him to you. It's likely that Kreacher did it on his own accord. Kreacher might be able to sense that it was something you wanted. " She shrugged a bit. "I'm not really sure. There are very few books on elven magic, I was researching them when I was preparing for S.P.E.W. Most wizards think understanding it is beneath them." She said that last sentence with an angry tone.

Harry, however, smiled. S.P.E.W. How long had it been since he thought of that? Just picturing Ron's face when Hermione would shake the collecting tin under their classmates' noses was enough to bring him to hysterics.

Before long, both Hermione and Harry were cracking up. The stress of Ron's departure, the state of his return, and the giddiness that he was actually back, caused the two friends to break into uncontrollable laughter.

After a few minutes, during which Harry actually lay on the forest floor clutching his side, the two finally got their laughter under control. Then, quickly as the laughter and joy had come, it had vanished. They lapsed into silence.

"He lost so much blood." Hermione said, her voice cracking a bit. "We need to get some real food. He is too weak. If we keep living off soggy mushrooms, he is not going to recover his strength. He could die. I'm going to appearate to the nearest muggle town and do some basic grocery shopping. I'll take muggle money, and we'll do some simple disguises. It should be pretty easy for me to blend in. After all, I am muggle born."

"Are you sure?" Harry said, nervous for his friend. "I can go."

"No, I'll do it. I'm not nearly as recognizable as you" Hermione said. Her voice stopped cracking and now sounded determined. She glanced at the tent, where Ron was sleeping inside, and this seemed to strengthen her resolve. Harry knew she was scared to go off alone. But this was Ron's well being that was on the line. As scared as she was, she would do it for Ron.

She pointed her wand at herself. Seconds later, her hair was not a bushy mane of brown hair, but straight and a dark black. He recognized the shade of black; it was the same as his. Her eyes were not the welcoming brown Harry was used too, but a shade of blue he also knew so well. Her eyes were the exact shade of blue as Ron's.

"Oh merlin." Harry whispered. It was so strange. He felt as though he was looking at a hybrid of himself and his two best friends, as other features of Hermione where still there.

"Keep him safe. I'll send a patronus if anything goes wrong" Hermione whispered, before turning on her heels, walking outside the protective charms, and disappearing with a CRACK.

With nothing else to do, Harry returned to the tent to check on Ron. As soon as he walked back into the tent, he knew Hermione did the right thing. Ron was a mess, to say the least. He was still covered in blood, and where his skin was clear of blood and grime, it was a ghostly shade of white.

Harry sat by his side and placed his hand on Ron's forehead. Ron's skin was cold and clammy to the touch. Harry noticed beads of sweat around Ron's brow.

Harry grabbed a towel and filled up a bowl with water using the aguamenti charm. He began wiping the blood off Ron's arms. He knew that Ron would probably prefer Hermione to this task, but Harry felt the need to help Ron as well as he could. Plus, he was sparing Hermione the site of Ron covered in blood.

With that last though, Harry laughed bitterly. As if Hermione would ever get the image of Ron appearing, bound broken and bloodied, out of her head. As if he ever would either.

Harry then Ron was breathing very rapidly. He was getting nervous about his friend's health now. He had assumed that Ron was out of the woods, when he awoke for that short time, but now Harry doubted it. Ron hadn't responded all to the cool water on his body, and his skin remained cool, clammy, and extremely pale. Fear gripped Harry's heart as he began to wonder if Ron was sleeping, or if he was unconscious.

You could go into shock from blood loss. Harry remembered Hermione yelling at the twins about it when they had tested their nosebleed nougat on an unsuspecting 2nd year.

Harry was really nervous now. He needed Hermione to come back, and quick. He didn't know what to do for shock or blood loss. He knew that Madame Pompfry had to give Katie Bell a blood replenishing potion in 5th year, but it was beyond Harry's knowledge of how to make one.

"Hang in their Ron." Harry whispered, and brought the towel to Ron's head, were he began wiping the blood from his face.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks to Avid Reader for reminding me that people are interested in this story! Sorry for the long while for the update, I put this story on hold and was writing something else, but I promise to finish this before I get back to that story. It would be poor form to neglect this story, it really does mean a lot to me.**

**ENJOY!**

To say Hermione was nervous was to put it mildly. Everyone around her seemed to be

looking at her too long or too intently. Everyone seemed to be whispering about her. Once or twice she thought someone reached for a wand.

Being isolated with no one other than Ron and Harry for months made the simple activity of walking in a grocery feel as though she was shining a spotlight on herself in the middle of a crowded theater and belting out in song.

'Act normal, Hermione.' She chided herself. There was no real reason why anyone should be looking at her. She blended in perfectly. Her jeans, sweater and scarf seemed to be the uniform of all the women at the grocery. She didn't even look like herself. On the off chance there was a witch or wizard in the store, no one would recognize her.

She grabbed a basket and threw essentials in it. She consciously tried to keep the cost down, as their muggle funds were obviously limited. Bread, eggs, peanut butter, canned soup, canned vegetables, lots of pasta noodles and sauces. Her only luxury items were a couple muggle chocolate bars she threw in for Ron.

She was standing in line to pay when she felt it.

"It" was pain.

A pain hit her in the chest so badly, that she placed her hand over it. Her hand was now right over her heart. The women behind her asked, "are you ok, dear?" and Hermione nodded in return.

At first she thought she was hit by a spell, but it didn't feel like that. It felt detached from her body, like an afterthought. She thought briefly of phantom pains she read about when she was younger. How someone could loose an arm, but it would still hurt years afterwards.

"Fine, thanks." She whispered. Hermione felt anything but fine. This, she didn't understand. She wasn't injured. She hadn't been hit with anything. But still, now that the sudden pain had faded, she was left with a dull but continuous ache.

She continued through the check out trying to look normal, but her face was contorted in thought. Something was wrong, she was sure of it. Was it Ron again? Like the dream?

The thought that her ache could be related to Ron made her nervous. For one, that meant something was wrong with Ron. But for two, what was this new connection between the two of them and where was it coming from?

As she pondered, she remembered something else that was strange. Ron, before falling asleep, had said "It was always you, too." What did he mean by that. It was as though he was responding to something she had said. What was her?

It hit her as suddenly as the pain did. Right before he apparated into the tent with Kreacher, hadn't she been lying in bed? Hadn't she said out loud in a whisper 'It was you. There never even was a choice. It was always you.'

Had he heard her and then answered her? How could that be possible? She would have to ask him when he woke up.

Panic started creeping in again. If there was a connection then this new pain in her chest might mean Ron is not waking up again soon.

She thanked the check out lady and hastily carried her groceries away from the store. She had to get a safe distance away from the muggle town before she could apparate back to the tent.

Along the walk, Hermione began to realize how tired she was. She hadn't slept more than a few hours of very unrestful sleep since Ron disappeared and his dramatic return. Before that, she hadn't slept in a full day. The stress of Ron's return and the adrenaline of making sure they were safe and that Ron had food had kept her awake for a while, but she could feel her body slowing down. She was exhausted.

She got ready to apparate, focusing on that and that alone. Apparateing while this exhausted could be dangerous. It kept your body from focusing on the task at hand, and could result in her splinching herself.

"Focus Hermione" she chided herself. And with that, she thought of the tent and of Ron, before turning on the spot.

Harry heard the pop of Hermione's return and could have cried in relief.

He darted from the tent. "Hermione! Hermione! Hermione!" He couldn't see her because of the protective charms, so he began taking them down as quickly as he could.

"Harry! What is it? Stop yelling! Do you want to tell every snatcher within 10 miles where we are?" Hermione hissed. Clearly taken aback by Harry's frantic behavior.

"It's Ron. Something's wrong with him" Harry explained, but as soon as he said "It's Ron," Hermione took off running towards the tent. Her grocery bags lay forgotten on the ground.

Harry picked up the bags, thinking maybe they contained something useful, before running after her.

Hermione stopped short when she entered the tent. Ron looked so weak and so pale; it physically pained her to see him like this. He was shaking and covered with sweat. Harry had obviously cleaned off most of the blood that had caked Ron's face, and underneath the blood, he looked like a sick child.

It might have been her imagination, but he looked as though he was in pain. It broke her heart.

She sat next to him and brought her hand to his forehead. It was cool and clammy to her touch. When she touched him, he moaned slightly and unconsciously moved towards her.

Harry looked on as Hermione placed her hand to Ron's head. Her expression was so tender, so loving, that Harry found himself feeling once again as though he was intruding on a private moment.

"Do you think it's from all the blood loss?" Harry asked. He had been hesitant to interrupt the moment but also nervous about Ron's deteriorating condition.

For a second, he thought Hermione hadn't heard him. Her eyes hadn't left Ron's since she walked in the tent and she made no indication that she heard anything Harry said to her.

Then, quick as a flash, she ripped open her small beaded bag with such force that Harry fierd she'd rip it.

"_Accio Mr. Weasley's Medication!" _Hermione yelled, pointing her wand towards the bag.

"What?" Harry asked, surprised. What medication of Ron's dad did Hermione have in her little bag?

A small bottle popped out of her bag and into her hand.

"Harry, hold up his head and tilt it back. We need to get him to swallow this."

"What is it?" Harry asked. Suddenly he remembered that he hadn't checked to make sure Hermione really was Hermione when she returned from the grocery. Her hair was still the same jet black as his, her eyes the same blue as Ron's.

What if someone had attacked Hermione, impersonated her, and was now about to poison Ron?

Just as Harry was about to raise his wand and question her, he remembered the tender look on her face when she was looking at Ron. No one could fake that. It was definitely Hermione.

He sat on the head of Ron's bed and lifted the upper half of Ron's body up towards him. "Come on mate, up you go" He said gently, and Ron moaned as Harry helped him sit up a bit.

"What are you giving him, Hermione?" Harry asked as his eyes followed Hermione's to the small bottle in her hand. She was pulling off the top.

"Remember 5th year? When Ron's dad got bitten by the snake?" Hermione asked, as she moved closed to Ron.

"Yeah…"

"Remember how he let the healer try muggle stitches on him. Ms. Weasley almost had a heart attack and killed him herself." She continued.

"Yeah…" Harry said, still not catching on.

"He had to take blood-replenishing potion every hour. Ultimately he healed, but he had a couple of bottles around the house in case he relapsed. Remember it took them so long to figure out how to stop it? The healer gave him some extra in case he got worse again. He gave them too me when he saw me collecting supplies before we left."

"BRILLIANT" Harry shouted. They had the potion on hand!

"Come on Ron" he coaxed, trying to get his friend to respond enough to swallow a potion.

"Pinch his nose" Hermione commanded, and Harry did so. Ron responded by opening his mouth to breath better, and when he did, Hermione tipped the potion in his mouth. She immediately clasped her hand over his open mouth, so he wouldn't spit it back up.

He swallowed and they immediately released him.

"Now what?" Harry asked, looking anxiously at Ron.

"We wait, and give him another dose in an hour if he doesn't get better" Hermione replied.

Next Chapter: we will learn what the connection between Ron and Hermione is all about! I hope you are enjoying. Please, it would mean a lot to me if you told me what you think of the story. Thanks so much.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Avid Reader, I owe you an apology for the length of time it took for me to finish this story. I'm very sorry, and with this lesson learned, I will be finishing stories from now own BEFORE posting them. Hopefully you can forgive me, my one loyal reviewer .

With nothing else to do, now that Ron had taken the potion, Harry turned to the groceries. He began unpacking them, laying them out on the counter in no particular order. He put the perishable items on one side and cast a spell around them to keep them cool. He smirked slightly thinking about how dependant the Dursley's were on their refrigerator.

Once when he was about 8, a tree fell on Privet Drive and destroyed a power line. They didn't have power for days, which gave Dudley an excuse to eat everything in the entire refrigerator in one night.

Well, not anymore. Harry's spell would keep the food cold until he released it.

"Should we wake him to eat something?" Harry asked eyeing the food. Hermione had bought, among other things; eggs, bread, cheese and bacon. That sandwich would be bloody brilliant right now.

"Let's wait 10 minutes, so the potion has a chance to sink in." Hermione said, still sitting at Ron's side. She looked up at Harry and caught the longing in his eyes as he stared at the eggs.

She smiled. "Sit with him, Harry. I'll make us some sandwiches." Harry smiled gratefully and returned to Ron's side. He looked better already, Harry observed. His skin was less clammy and warmer to the touch.

"Harry, when I was at the grocery, right as I was about to check out, I felt a sharp pain as if someone had hit me in the chest with a spell." Hermione said very quickly, without looking up. She didn't want to worry Harry, but this seemed to be relevant information.

"What do you think it was?" Harry asked, watching Hermione carefully. She was cracking some eggs and stirring them in a bowl, refusing to make eye contact with Harry and focusing purely on her task at hand.

"Ron." Hermione said quietly. "I think I felt him take a turn for the worse."

The gravity of that pronouncement made Harry sigh. This war was taking a lot of casualties and weighing heavily on the three of them. The last thing he wanted was Hermione to crack.

But deep down Harry knew that this was not Hermione loosing her mind. Something deeper was at play. Magic was after all, magic. Sometimes there were signs that you had to listen too.

"There is something else" Hermione spoke, now sizzling the bacon in a small pan. The smell was so overwhelming, that Harry could feel Ron stir next to him.

"When Ron spoke to be briefly before he feel asleep, he said something. Something that made me think he heard something I said while he was gone." Hermione said, phrasing her words carefully. She didn't want to delve into what she had said and why she said it to Harry, but she did want to get the message across.

As Hermione put the finishing touches on the sandwiches, Harry said, "Well, I guess you will just have to ask him when he wakes up."

Ron stirred again and Hermione carried over the plate of sandwiches. She handed one to Harry and then sat on the bed next to Ron.

"Ron" she cooed, her voice softer than Harry had ever remembered her speaking. "Ron, I need you to eat something." As soon as Hermione said the word 'need' Ron opened his eyes.

"Welcome back, mate" Harry laughed. "How do you feel?"

Ron eyed the sandwiches greedily. "I'm starving." Hermione laughed and Harry found himself laughing with her. It was so welcoming to hear Ron sound so endearingly Ron-like.

Hermione grabbed one of the sandwiches, helped Ron into sitting position and handed it to him. As Ron scarfed it down, she gave Harry a very meaningful look.

"I'm going to go take watch," Harry said, understanding his leave. He knew that Hermione and Ron had some things to discuss that probably only partially included their newfound physical connection.

"Kreacher, could you come with me?" Harry said remembering the House elf who slept in the corner. "I'm going to send you to stay with family of ours and look after them for the time being. They will be kind to you." Harry whispered to the elf.

"Kreacher…" Ron started saying, and Kreacher walked over to Ron's bed. "Thank you Kreacher. You saved my life." His voice seemed to hitch in his throat.

"Master Weasley protected my Master Harry. He wouldn't let the bad men find him. It was my duty to protect Master Weasley in return" Kreacher bowed and then followed Harry out of the tent.

Hermione watched Harry and Kreacher walk outside the tent before turning to Ron. Now that they were alone she felt her face flush a bit and found that same feeling of unease that she would get back at Hogwarts when they sitting in the common room together after a fight.

"Ron… I.." she started

"No Hermione, let me talk first." He said. Hermione looked at him, noting that the food and the potion was clearly working wonders on him. He looked infinitely better already. She made a mental note to give him another dose of the potion in about half an hour when this one would start to wear out. She would probably need to keep giving him the potion on the hour until his body had a chance to catch up with his condition.

"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for leaving you. As soon as a left, I knew I had to get back. But…" Ron trailed off. Hermione knew what had happened next from Kreacher. Ron had walked into a whole mess of trouble. One day soon she would want to hear about it, to help him heal from it. But this didn't seem to be the right time.

"That bloody horcrux. I'm not blaming it, but it was driving me mad. I was hearing voices. They kept tell me that I was useless. That I was holding you and Harry back. That I wasn't good enough for y…." Ron cut off again face turning red.

Hermione's heart went out to him. She had no idea the horcrux had been affecting him that much. When she wore it, it made her grouchy and grumpy. It made her more irritable, but she never heard voices.

"Well it's not true." Hermione said, the bossy matter of fact tone back in her voice. She took a deep breath and made her voice softer as she said, "I cried from the moment you left until the moment you came back. We can't do this without you, Ron. I can't"

Ron smiled happily. The first real smile he had given her in weeks. Hermione chanced a glance at the Horcrux, now lying on a table. Harry had suggested they take it off for a while. Hermione now knew she would never let Ron put it back on. She would wear it all the time if it came to that.

"When you came back Ron…" Hermione said, blushing again and turning away from him. "You said something." Ron looked at her quizzically. "You said 'It was always you too.'" Hermione looked back up at him. He looked thoughtful.

Then it was like a light blub went on. "Your voice!" He yelped.

"What?" Hermione said, taken aback.

"It came out of the deluminator." He said excitedly.

"WHAT?" Hermione repeated, louder this time.

"When they had left me for the night…" Ron took a deep breath and began talking about what had happened "I was so sure I was going to bleed out and die on that chair. I couldn't move, and I was bleeding from what felt like everywhere. I was barely conscious. Then I heard your voice come out of my pocket. From the deluminator."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small object, handing it to Hermione finished, "it's what kept me alive. I didn't want to die before I told you how sorry I was."

Hermione was manipulating the deluminator in her hands. Ron stared at her expectantly.

"What did I say?" She asked quietly.

"You said my name. And the 'It was you. There never even was a choice. It was always you'" He blushed a little as he said that.

Hermione looked at him, his blue eyes were looking at her so expectantly.

"We need you here Ron, with us. I need you. I didn't pick Harry over you; it's not a choice. It's always you." She whispered.

"The deluminator. It must act as a homing device between us. It strengthens our connection. When I said your name, it must have triggered it. I knew you were in trouble. I felt it." Hermione said confessing

"You felt it?" Ron asked, worry now for her evident in his voice.

"It was so strange, Ron." Hermione started. "You left and I was lying in bed. I was crying." She added the last part to gage Ron's reaction, but also to reassure him by letting him know how much his leaving affected then. Never again would Ron feel as though he didn't matter. Her pride be damned.

"I must have cried myself to sleep, because suddenly I was having a nightmare. But, it wasn't a usual nightmare. I could feel you being tortured, as if I was in your body. I could hear your screams." She chanced a look at him and noticed his face was pale.

"Then I woke up couldn't tell if it was real or fake. I've never had a dream like that in my life." She paused, the reality of what had happened was setting in.

"And I left you there." She said, realization hitting her. She had left Ron at the hands of the death eaters. She had made the conscious decision not to go after him.

That thought was so horrible that she promptly began to cry. Her tears soon became sobs. "I left you…" She whispered between sobs.

"No, you didn't." Ron whispered.

"I did…. oh Ron… I did."

"NO. You didn't" Ron said more forcefully this time. "You didn't know. It could have been a trap. Siruis and the ministry fiasco all over again." He wrapped his arms around her and brought her down on the small cot so they were both lying down.

"Maybe Dumbledore charmed the deluminator." Ron said suddenly. "Maybe he knew I'd run out, and that the two of us needed to be together for Harry to win this." He added, looking a bit ashamed.

"He knew you'd always come back." Hermione smiled.

Note: FINISHED. I originally had them kiss at the end, but then I thought that their first kiss should be kept with the book I hope you enjoyed this story! I'm already working on something new, but it will be finished before being posted!


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